State Comptroller Kevin Lembo

Kevin Lembo was elected Connecticut�s State Comptroller in 2010 following 20 years of public service and advocacy.

Lembo first came to public service as an independent advocate. Working with the private, public and non-profit sectors, Lembo helped design and implement an innovative long-term home care program in New York that successfully prevented premature and permanent admissions to nursing facilities. He was also program director for an AIDS education, prevention and primary care program before serving as Assistant Comptroller in Connecticut.

Lembo was appointed Connecticut�s first state Healthcare Advocate in 2004 where he spent years helping thousands of residents navigate the complexities of the health care system.

As State Comptroller, Lembo serves as chief fiscal guardian -- monitoring and reporting on the state�s financial status, coordinating health care and payroll for hundreds of thousands of public employees and retirees, and administering the statewide electronic accounting system. He has been hailed by advocacy groups and the media as a �champion of transparency� for his efforts to promote public access to vital state financial information.

Comptroller Lembo holds a Master of Public Administration degree from California State University and is a member of the Pi Alpha Honor Society. He was named a Toll Fellow of the Council of State Governments in 2004, and has served as a panelist and moderator throughout the state and country as an expert in health care and retirement administration.

Lembo resides in Guilford, CT with his spouse, Charles Frey; they have three children.

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State Treasurer Denise Nappier

Denise L. Nappier is the 82nd Treasurer of the State of Connecticut. She is the first African-American woman elected to serve as a State Treasurer in the United States. First elected in 1998, Nappier is the longest serving Connecticut Treasurer in modern times. As Connecticut�s chief elected financial officer, Nappier oversees $54 billion in state funds, including the $29 billion Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds, a $20 billion debt portfolio and the $5 billion Short-Term Investment Fund. Her innovative and effective leadership has saved taxpayers and businesses hundreds of millions of dollars.

Nappier is one of the nation�s leading institutional investors working for corporate reform on such issues as executive compensation, independence and diversity of board members, financial reporting and auditing, and disclosure of financial risks associated with climate change.

A strong advocate for expanding economic opportunity, Nappier has an unsurpassed record of increasing opportunities for women- and minority-owned, state-based and emerging firms to earn business with her office.

Throughout her administration, Nappier has served as a catalyst and effective advocate for financial education. She also has made CHET, Connecticut�s 529 college savings program, one of the nation�s most affordable and accessible programs.

Nappier previously served as Hartford City Treasurer. She holds a B.A. from Virginia State University and master�s degree from the University of Cincinnati. She is a member of the Connecticut Women�s Hall of Fame.

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Thomas Barnes

I own and operate an investment advisory business in Bristol CT, called Riverside Investment Services; I also serve as the elected City treasurer. I serve as the chairman of the City of Bristol�s pension system, which is overfunded in all three plans. I live in Bristol CT with my wife Emily and my 3 girls Lillian, Aubrey, and Ashley. I am 42 years old and do a tremendous amount of retirement planning for my existing clients who are mostly middle income people who this body is trying to help.

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Michael Callahan

Michael E. Callahan, EA, CPC, FSPA, RMA now serves as President of Edu4Retirement, Inc., a financial servicing firm specializing in planning and investing for retirement. Mr. Callahan is also a Principal with Retirement Plan Advisory Services, LLC which provides qualified retirement plan compliance related services to broker dealers and financial institutions.

He is a Fellow in the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries (ASPPA) and an Enrolled Actuary licensed by the Joint Board for the Enrollment of Actuaries. He is also a Certified Pension Consultant. He is a Retirement Management Analyst with the Retirement Income Industry Association. He has been a frequent speaker in regards to pension issues, has recently made presentations to the Annual Conference of ASPPA and has provided expert witness testimony to the Pension Advisory Council of the Department of Labor, the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, and the Internal Revenue Service. He has several years of experience with public retirement systems. He is a past President of the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries.

Mr. Callahan co-chaired the IRS Northeast Region Employee Benefits Conference for nine years and was a frequent speaker at the Conference.

Mr. Callahan was a co-founder of National Pension Alliance, LLC; an innovative concept in defined contribution plan recordkeeping.

Mr. Callahan co-authored the Defined Benefit Answer Book, published by Panel Publishers, Inc., along with Paul W. Denu, MSPA and Kathryn Smith, Esq. He also published a book that was written for his son, �A Dad�s Guide to His Son�s Life Journey.

Mr. Callahan is a Registered Representative with Investors Capital Corporation. He is Series 7, 24, 63 and 65, life, variable annuity, health and property casualty insurance licensed.

Mr. Callahan was the 2007 recipient of the Harry T. Edison Founders Award, a lifetime achievement award given by the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries to individuals whose contributions make a lasting, positive influence on the private pension system.

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Ken Floryan

Having completed a brief stint in the US Army and obtained a bachelor�s degree from the University of Connecticut, Ken Floryan began a career in information technology in 1972 with Aetna Life and Casualty. After acquiring experience in the design and construction of insurance, medical and investment systems for Aetna, for Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance, and as head of his own small business, in 1996 Ken transitioned into a career of investment management, working for Mass Mutual Life Insurance and for Mass Mutual�s investment subsidiary, Babson Capital Management. Ken retired in 2014 from the position of Managing Director, with most of that investment experience in the department that provides investment risk management and portfolio management service to insurance and pension clients. Ken�s special expertise is in the collection, organization and use of investment data in accounting and decision-support processes.

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George Kasper

George J. Kasper is a resident of Fairfield, CT and a partner in the law firm of Pullman & Comley. As a member of the firm�s Labor & Employment Law and Employee Benefits Department, Mr. Kasper counsels employers, plan sponsors, trade associations, and plan service providers on a wide range of employee benefit matters from retirement and health plans to tax and executive compensation matters. He advises on issues concerning plan design, administration, and restructuring of complex retirement plans; fiduciary responsibility; comprehensive compliance reviews; and design, implementation, and maintenance of governmental and tax-exempt organization retirement and welfare benefit programs.

Prior to joining Pullman & Comley, Mr. Kasper practiced law in New York and worked as a senior tax consultant in the New York office of a �big-4� accounting firm.

Mr. Kasper is a member of the Employee Benefits Committee, Tax Section, American Bar Association; Tax Section Executive Committee, Connecticut Bar Association; and New York Bar Association. He is active in his local community, and currently serves on the board of directors of LifeBridge Community Services.

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William Kosturko

William Kosturko is a resident of Killingworth, CT. A retired Executive Vice President and General Counsel of People�s United Bank, headquartered in Bridgeport, CT, Mr. Kosturko worked in the financial services industry for over 30 years. He currently serves as a board member of various not-for-profit entities located in Connecticut.

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Sal Luciano

Sal Luciano is the current Executive Director of Council 4 of the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees � more commonly referred to as AFSCME.

Headquartered in New Britain, CT, Council 4 represents 32,000 workers in state and local government, and the private non-profit sector, and is affiliated with the 1.6 million-member national AFSCME union. He is the Eastern Regional Vice President on the AFSCME International Executive Board.

Mr. Luciano began his career as a Social Worker for the State of Connecticut�s Department of Children and Youth Services in 1980. In his capacity as a social worker he investigated cases of abuse and neglect of children. That same year, Mr. Luciano became a steward for AFSCME Local 2663.

In 1989, Mr. Luciano was elected as President of AFSCME Local 2663. In 1999, he was elected at the President of AFSCME Council 4 and in June 1, 2001 he was appointed as Executive Director of Council 4 to fill a vacancy; Council 4 members have re-elected him three times since.

Mr. Luciano also serves as President of the Connecticut State AFL-CIO. He is a Vice President of the United Labor Agency.

Mr. Luciano serves on a number of committees and boards. Mr. Luciano serves on the State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC), negotiating health care and retirement agreements on behalf of unionized state employees.

Mr. Luciano currently sits on the board of the state of Connecticut Retirement Commission, which oversees state and municipal employee pension fund. In 2013, he was appointed to the State Contracting Standards Board ensuring that state taxpayers are not forced to pay for reckless outsourcing. In 2010, Mr. Luciano was a member of the SustiNet Board, developing a plan to provide quality health care to Connecticut residents.

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Brendan Maher

Brendan S. Maher is a Professor of Law, Director of the Insurance Law Center and Robert D. Paul Scholar at the University of Connecticut School of Law. A graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School, Professor Maher is a nationally recognized expert in the regulation of insurance, pensions, and health care. He is a leading authority on the meaning of both ERISA and the Affordable Care Act. Professor Maher routinely appears before the United States Supreme Court to litigate cases involving ERISA, the federal statute governing employee benefits. Recent appearances include US Airways, Inc. v. McCutchen, 133 S. Ct. 1537 (2013); Conkright v. Frommert, 130 S. Ct. 1640 (2010); and LaRue v. DeWolff, Boberg, & Assocs., Inc., 552 U.S. 248 (2008).

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Jamie Mills

Jamie Mills is Senior Advisor for Policy Analysis for the Office of Policy and Management. Prior to joining the Malloy administration she was engaged in the private practice of law in Hartford, Connecticut focused on representing employees and unions in labor and employment related matters, advocacy organizations in public policy and impact litigation, and victims of sexual assault and abuse in civil cases. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law and has served on numerous national and state boards and committees. Attorney Mills has been selected a Connecticut Super Lawyer every year from 2006 through 2014 representing the top 5% of attorneys in the state, by Law & Politics and Connecticut Magazine and has received numerous awards and recognition. Attorney Mills received her J.D., with honors, from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1987. She now lives with her wife, Maureen Murphy, in Middletown.

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Sharon Palmer

Sharon Palmer is the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor, the state agency committed to providing the state�s business community and jobseekers with workforce assistance that ultimately strengthens our economy. Governor Dannel P. Malloy appointed her to the position in August, 2012.

Before joining DOL, Commissioner Palmer served as president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Connecticut, which represents 28,000 teachers, healthcare professionals, state employees, higher education personnel, and school-related personnel.

She began serving as an executive officer of the state federation in 1987 when elected to her first term as vice president. Before assuming the position of president in 2003, Palmer held the position of executive vice president for two years.

She has more than 20 years of experience working as a classroom teacher � primarily in the Waterford Public School System � and in the Waterford Public Schools Gifted and Talented program. Commissioner Palmer was raised in East Hampton, and earned her bachelor�s degree at St. Joseph University and her master�s degree at Eastern Connecticut State University.

As Commissioner, she strives to move the Agency forward in protecting the rights of working people, as well as strengthening services provided to employers.

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James Russell

James W. Russell is Connecticut State University Professor of Sociology at Eastern Connecticut State University. An authority on retirement policy in the United States, Europe, and Latin America, he is author of eight books, including Social Insecurity: 401(k)s and the Retirement Crisis (Beacon Press).

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John A. Sayour

John is the fourth of six children, Brooklyn born in 1941 and the father of four children, six grandchildren (one more on the way!). He has 29 years of experience as a Financial Advisor, coming out of retirement from Northwestern Mutual Life � to New York Life in the summer of 2011.

His expertise is in the Business / Retirement planning markets. John�s extensive entrepreneurial background began in Brooklyn, NY. At age 14 had 16 kids working for him. John had a successful career with his own �Needle Trade� Co. (23 years) and a flower shop on Manhattan�s upper East Side (Madison Avenue - 10 years).

With a BA from St. John�s U, Queens and an MBA from Sacred Heart University (2012) he teaches as an adjunct at Westchester Community College (ten years) and currently also at Sacred Heart U.

Theodore Hesburgh, former President of Notre Dame University, articulated a model for how John likes to run his practice and live his life:

�My basic principle is that you don�t make decisions because they are easy, you don�t make them because they are cheap, and you don�t make them because they�re popular. You make them because they are right.�

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